By Admin, #OasisVisas 
On October 10th 2025, the Canadian federal government raised the number of immigration nomination spots to 1,489, raising the total to 6,239 for this year. This happened after a successful lobbying campaign conducted by Manitoba so as to increase its spots under the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP). With the rise in their nomination allocation, Manitoba will now be able to nominate nearly 1,500 additional candidates to gain PR and settle in the province before the end of 2025.
Implications of This Change for the MPNP
With the rise in immigration nomination slots to 6,239 as of October 11th, 2025, the MPNP has recovered almost 65% of its 2024 nomination allocation of 9,500 spots. While the province has not provided the streams under which the nomination slots have been increased, it did mention that the increase is bound to address Manitoba’s labour market needs and deliver on its strategic priorities.
Throughout 2025, the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program has primarily focused on inviting candidates through two streams namely:
- The Skilled Worker in Manitoba Stream
- The Skilled Worker Overseas Stream
Through The Skilled Worker Overseas Stream, Manitoba has sought to implement “strategic recruitment initiatives”. Strategic recruitment initiatives are specialized initiatives led by employers or communities in Manitoba that enable the province to identify and invite candidates who possess essential skills currently lacking in the province. These initiatives help Manitoba to address its labour shortage while for employees it provides a pathway to getting a PR.
The Skilled Worker Overseas Stream is an Express Entry-aligned stream that allows the province to issue invitations to or pick individuals with valid Express Entry Profiles. Applicants who receive a nomination through an enhanced pathway can benefit from faster processing times for their PR applications.
To participate, the employers must fulfill eligibility conditions for their available positions and complete Manitoba’s ABC recruitment process. Once approved they may be able to submit the details of international candidates to Manitoba’s Employer Services. Candidates must also meet the eligibility conditions of Age, Education, Work Experience and Language Proficiency along with criteria for the stream through which they are being considered.
If a candidate demonstrates ties to another province of Canada like he studied there or lived there or has relatives there they may be viewed as a retention risk. Under such cases then Employer Services or the MPNP can reject that candidate. However one must be rest assured as each application would be judged on its own merit.
A Further Example of Ongoing Expansion
Manitoba now joins other Canadian provinces that have seen a rise in nomination allocation. This wave of allocation contrasts with the start of the year when there was a dramatic cut in all PNP related allocations. The cut was 50% of the 2024 levels and represented Canada’s Immigration Levels Plan laid out in October 2024.
In October of last year, the federal government announced that it would drastically scale back permanent immigration to the country in response to housing shortages and affordability issues. This trend of cuts in provincial allocations at the start of year 2025 is followed by a gradual rise in the same during the last months of this year.